I'm nursing a cake hangover this morning, thanks to Leslie Miller. I knew her book Let Me Eat Cake: A Celebration of Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder, and a Pinch of Salt, would make me hungry for cake. Most food books make me crave the food it describes, but after reading page after page of descriptions of cakes and frostings, I could take it no longer. I'm ashamed to say that I actually went to the store and bought one of those bakery cakes with the enormous amounts of frosting. In my defense, it was a small cake and I didn't eat the entire thing, but I'm paying for it this morning.
When Miller takes a cake decorating class, she talks about the ingredients that most cake bakers use. More concerned with sculpting beautiful cakes, they aren't too concerned with the ingredients. Crisco is still the ingredient of choice! And all kinds of other artificial ingredients and flavors to make it taste real and fresh. Hydrogenated oils and trans fats galore. I always knew the frosting was bad, but I figured it was just a bunch of butter and sugar. Sure enough, when I got said cake home last night and looked at the label, it had a long, long list of ingredients I could barely pronounce, let alone recognize. Could that be why there is a funny taste in my mouth this morning?
Miller's exploration of the history and culture of cake, examination of small and large-scale bakeries, and her attempts at cake baking and decorating are certainly entertaining. But this book is dangerous. Cake lovers: your willpower will be tested.
3 comments:
I restarted my low-carb diet yesterday, and today my neighbor, Ann, the cake baker I talk about in my book, came over to tell me I'd missed her daughter's shower on Sunday. She was carrying three slices of carrot cake. Grrrrrr. They're wrapped in waxed paper and taunting me.
Anyway, you're my kind of eater. Thanks for liking my book. It makes me feel really good.
I read this book and was completely turned off by the descriptions of crisco-laden frosting (and that's why I make my own buttercream). Definitely go from this book to All Cakes Considered --- there are some great recipes in there!
I loved All Cakes Considered! Unfortunately, I've been without a working kitchen since the fall, so I haven't been unable to make any of her recipes. As soon as my new kitchen is finished, I have a date with the Naughty Senator cake.
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